I’ve run mini excavators for little projects around the home, but these guys are the real deal. One thing that comes to mind is that the operator can’t see what he’s doing at the bottom of the trench. He has to rely on communication from the other guys for safety as well as feel in the sticks to get as much productivity out of the machine as possible. Simply amazing!
This man is known as the “top man” or banksman. I’ve been laying deep drainage for over 30 years in the uk, also tunnelling projects for barhale, Murphy etc, started alongside my dad when I was around nine, driving dozers, machines the whole nine yards. The deepest box for trench cut I was in was ten metres deep in rotterdam. Great job lads and nice to see you using leica pipe lasers . Uk peace and love 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Sewer and waterline is another world ive had the chance to be on a crew for 3-4 months and i miss it chemistry and production is awesome you control the jobs
I miss working the trench and installing sewer mains. It's not perfectly safe, but man does it get you into good physical condition. Working for the City of Oklahoma City, we were not under OSHA, so we did a lot extremely dangerous stuff, sometimes in deep ditches without shoring or trench boxes. I was in a hole 26 feet deep in a golf course once to do a repair. I could've died easily on that one.
Your videos have helped me tremendously. I am a DIYer. I have a 9.6 acre property and bought an old dozer and some other equipment. I learned the basics from your videos. Now I’m installing 400’ of 8” SDR35 for a storm water project here. This video also helped me. Keep it up!
I 100% agree with you. Without a good crew this is extremely dangerous work. As much as I would like to take credit this is entirely Fechco's crew performing the work
I was the loader operator when my friend was buried in a trench cave in. He was just inside the trench box, standing on the end of the pipe when the trench behind him came down and came inside the box from the end. Buried for about 30 minutes. He was 18 years old.
Fucking brutal I think about shit like this happening everytime I go down in the hole. I prefer open cut but a cage gets the job done faster. We have the track loader coming in right behind the cage backfilling and packing the trench as we pull the cage in the trench. Sometimes we got risers for services and we sand those as we pull the cage but it can cave in before the trackloader can get close enough. The less of the trench open the better.
I’m sorry for your loss, last November I had to pull my buddy out from underneath the tracks of a new 350 deer. Went to talk to the operator and something shorted with the track controls and tracked on top of him. Operator couldn’t move the tracks only the bucket. He was the pipe layer an I was his top man. Shit scares me every day still doing the trade
Thank you so much for this video. At times I have to estimate the cost of these parts of a project and this really helps me to understand the complexities and risk associated with this work. It also helps me explain it to those who are even further removed, but have hold on the purse strings. Great video. I am now a subscriber.
I am a pipe layer for a large civil contractor in the PNW. Been doing it for 8 years now. Us pipe layers love the deep stuff! Interesting to see how other crews work. I have a few things about this video I question. Appears to be 24” sdr 35 with 3 foot spreader bars on the trench box. Usually for that large of pipe it needs to be jumping jacked on both sides but not possible with how narrow your box is unless you’re using a pogo stick vibe. My only reasoning why you’re not required to compact is because it’s non compact-able bedding. Also, stabbing sewer together with a hoe can be risky and mess up your previous sticks grade (depending how much grade each stick gets) Where’s your cat walk for the trench box though?! Or a armor plate in the back. Overall, cool video!
The stone they are using for bedding is non compact-able which is why they are able to get away with using a hoe pack on the back fill I believe. Also the actual trench widens out once the trench box is pulled forward so there is a bit more room to get in around the pipe. A good operator is certainly key when nudging pipe into place but I've always felt like I have more control using the bucket vs. using a choker to pull the pipe into position. The choker allows for wobble and some jerky movements while the bucket is smooth and consistent on the push. As for the catwalk and armor plates, I'm not sure why they weren't required on this project as I was just filming and didn't have all the details of the job. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment brother!
@@dlogan3004 … you can most definitely bar 24” sdr 35 home. If you’re running a .1% grade or similar, using a hoe will impact the grade of the previous stick which will cause a belly in the line. If you can’t bar it in, have your tail man help, if neither can bar it in, get out of the ditch.
@@dlogan3004 perfect, I haven’t had to dig up a single pipe (water or sewer) because of a leak or a belly in the almost 9 years I’ve been a ditch hand. I’ll keep doing it the way the old boys taught me and will train my new guys the same way I learned. Never been told my way is slow, bad or non efficient. Different strokes bud that’s all.
I do the same work been in countless ditches from 2ft to 25ft deep it is dangerous. I was the one in the ditch putting the pipe in for 7 years mainly sewer and storm drain, now I’m a Forman. Was never really a fan of cat I like Deere. I have a Hitachi 380. Y’all be safe
That's awesome to see. I never knew what was happening down there. Now I understand better why it takes so long when they have the street blocked off to install new or bigger sewer. I live in the Phenix are with housing and industrial going in at a very fast rate and existing roads are getting tore up and then repaved on what seems to be a regular basis. My wife asks me all the time what is taking so long, now I can try to explain. Thank you and be safe.
Lol I remember my first 20' manhole. I dug a shelfed pit 40' by 60' and eventually a ramp all the ways down with a mini. I straight wrecked the tie in. Old clay 18" sewer main Lol. It was a shot show boys haha! The next job going into the winter was another sanitary sewer and one manhole was 45'. That one was smooth sailing and safety was the #1 priority. Honestly I was taught to dig by a guy who came of the pipeline. This dude was amazing. He always kept tabs and when we would be in the hole he's the only guy I've ever seen bring the machines boom&arm down to us. Curling the bucket. Articulating it in a way we're he would block of a dangerous bank and in case of a cave in be ready to pull us up if needed. Now in a real bad cave in at least the laborers would have literally a ladder from the machine to try to hold on and pull your self up and out. Boxes are priority but sometimes you can't use them.
We did that a lot when we did sanitary tie in's on the residential side. It was too small of a hole to get a trench box in and a lot of times the lot was too small to be able to properly bench the hole so we would use the hoe to shore up the bank for the guys in the hole.
A lot of know it all’s on here. Fechko been around since the late 80s. I graduated with Clayton Fechko and have been friends w him and a lot of the boys over there a long time. Good guys. I’m also outta local 860 like I’m sure these guys are. Stay safe !
I don't get all the hate. Everyone that was working there loved the company and I absolutely loved the family that runs the company. I think there are a lot of ex-employees in here that are still angry they got shit canned...
Cool video Bryan, you answered several questions I had about this process in this one video. Was there a time when those trench boxes weren't used in the industry? How long ago? That is some dangerous work.
I'm not sure how long trench boxes like this have been around to be honest. This is extremely dangerous work and is pretty mentally exhausting for the operator. You have to be "on" all day or you kill someone or, best case scenario, cause thousands of dollars of property damage.
Mainline Hoe Operator here! Glad other people realize how meticulous is actually is. I’ve set lift stations 35’ deep and laid miles of sewer main 20’ and deeper. But even laying water main or electrical conduit 3 or 4 feet deep pine mistake can cost someone their life. I was on a job where a young man 19yrs old was killed in a 4 1/2ft ditch, he was kneeled down glueing conduit together and the operator spun off the ditch cause a 6ft long slab of the clay wall to fall and land on him. Stay safe out there fellas.
Thank you for the explanation. I’ve been turning away a lot of jobs because I’m afraid of The what ifs. Now I’m a little confident I can at least do a 5’ repair
Find a job in your area that has a pipe crew working and take an afternoon off to go observe. Don't think about it as losing out on work. Think about it as an investment in your education. Once you've seen the process done in person it become a lot less intimidating.
I’m 24 years old and I’m the pipe foreman ive been the foreman since I was 21 got into the industry when I was 18 and I stayed hungry for knowledge and skill and I’m still hungry for the knowledge we get better and better everyday
Hell yeah would love to be part of this crew I am I current pipe layer here in Salt Lake City utah I have been laying pipe for 6 years so far started when I was 19 and most likely alway do this kind of work great video man!
What size pipe was that? I getting ready to install 21 inch sewer pipe 20ft deep soon. Pretty the same amount of space to work to but next to a creek lol. Great video love seeing pipe laying done right.
I believe this was 24" but don't quote me on that... I'm with you. I being on or watching a pipe crew that works well together. There's not many things that are more fun in this business.
Hi great vid very helpful as im just getting into my operator career. That gas line they exposed at the start of vid, howd they managed that with the trench box going through?
Great video and channel! Q: What qualifications are required to oversee the installation os sanitary sewer? Do you have to be a plumbing contractor? Who regulates/supervises/quality checks the install?
Thank you! If we are talking mainline sanitary sewer then you are overseen by inspectors from the local municipality. While you conduct the work, the inspector is really the individual ensuring the work is being done correctly and to code. If you are talking about doing residential sewer taps into the main then you need to be a licensed plumber and you have to be certified in whatever city/township you are working in. In other words, my friend is certified to perform water and sewer taps here in the City of Howell but, we can't run down the road to Lansing and perform the same work. First he would have to go through the paper process of getting certified in Lansing, then we could conduct the work.
First time commenting. Love the channel and all the videos. Been watching for a couple months now. This video was great to show the process. Wish the video showed them moving and resetting the boxes. Maybe on the next one!
Thanks Jason! I can give you the quick overview. From here they would pull off the top box and set it to the side, unbolt the middle box and do the same and then pull out the lower box and jump it over the gas line. From there they rebuild the boxes on the other side of the gas line. It's a pretty labor intensive process and would've taken a fair amount of time.
@@DieselandIron Thanks for the reply. If the gas line wasn't in the way would they just pull them ahead? Or unbolt everything then reset and reassemble even with out a gas line in the way? Thanks
@@JP12X88 they would just continue to pull the boxes forward until the end of the run. The boxes bolt together so they move as one unit so it's easy to just pull the whole thing forward.
Shouts and hand signals are all that's used. If a crew has been working together for a long time and fits well together there is almost no verbal communication going on. It's all hand signals and everyone reading each other's movements. That's what makes being on a pipe crew one of the most fun jobs.
Hey Bryan, I’m just curious as to why they’re going this deep, I’m assuming it’s to avoid any lift pumps or having to pump the sewage to the treatment plant but I don’t know for sure, also how deep can they go before they have to put in some sort of pump?
Great question Ryan! Depth is determined by the nearest lift station. As the old saying goes, "shit flows downhill." When these pipe runs are designed the engineers figure out where the sewage will ultimately flow and that becomes your low point. The amount of elevation change that occurs through the dig depends on other tie ins that need to happen down the line. As far as how deep you go, that all depends on where you're at. Some runs will only go 20 or so feet deep due to conditions. In a major metro area you can go 40-60 feet deep in order to get under existing utilities or to get low enough to tie into the main feed line for the treatment plant.
I wasn't there for the start of the dig but if I had to guess it was to keep the guys safe while they bolted the second set up trench boxes up. Either that or it was to provide relief for the spoils as he was digging down to put the trench boxes in.
I did the same thing 20 ft deep!! Double stacked!! Except.. the ground was sand!!! It sucked... cave ins non stop! Sluffing, constant water underground.. messing with 2inch pumps every pull.. what a nightmare!! That will really make u work for your money!!
I'm assuming you are talking about when he switches to the bucket that was sitting in the stone box. If you watch, he couples the bucket and then uncurls all the way to grab the bucket of stone. With that coupler that was a bucket check. If the bucket wasn't coupled properly he wouldn't have been able to uncurl that much without the bucket coming undone. Thanks for the comment Clayton!
@@DieselandIron I gotcha. Yeah I’m not saying he’s wrong, just for us we have to put the teeth on the ground and give it a little pressure to make sure it’s on. It might’ve stemmed from an incident from our sister company, they had a bucket fall off into a trench and land on a sewer line below our trench. NOT a good day in the neighborhood. Thanks for the reply!
@@claytonboschult2445 When you curl it in, you can see the coupler cylinder move. If you watch it move and can see the bucket is in the hitch, it’s on. Like he said too, when he curled out to grab stone it was as good a test as any.
As much as I wanted to get in that machine, no I didn't get seat time in the new 352. I was just there to observe on this job. It did make me miss doing underground work though! Thanks for watching as always Junia!
Due to tight conditions there wasn't room to put the pipe next to him they were stacking dirt wherever they could and the loader was already shuttling some of the dirt down the road as is.
@@DieselandIron in the past 2 years in Canada alone, (that I am personally familiar with). 1 man killed in trench box when excavator falls on him (July 2020, Burnaby, BC, Canada), 1 man killed when trench box collapses on him (September 2020, Edmonton, AB, Canada), 2 men killed when trench collapses on them (a third man airlifted in critical condition (August 2022, Ajax, Ontario, Canada). I don't work for OSHA or OHS, I'm a heavy equipment operator trainer. That guy should not have been in the trench at all. In all three of those instances, the operators, supervisors, and superintendents involved will eventually all be going to prison. There is accountability nowadays.
Wow man this is crazy! I couldn’t imagine being 22 feet in the ground everyday.. I think I have mixed thought about “operators being lazy” like everyone I talk to says “oh you’re an operator you just sit on your butt all day and do barely anything” but in all honesty I think it’s who you work for and also your mindset on things. I’m new to this but where I work we do it all, we don’t just have certain guys operating or laboring, we have 3 guys including me and we do it all. And if you have a mindset of well I’m only the operator because I’m lazy then I think you have the wrong mindset.. that’s just my opinion I guess 🤷🏼♂️
It is a different world when you are that deep in the ground. It's cool and quiet down in the hole and you need to know where it's safe to be or you can get killed or maimed in a hurry. As far as the comment about operators being lazy, there's a couple things there. First, there will always be a comradery among laborers because they spend the day 100% exposed to the elements doing physical labor. I think, as operators, it's important to recognize this and give them credit for the physical labor they do and the lack of creature comforts they put up with. These guys absolutely have it harder than we do as operators. Now, that being said, nobody forced them to stick with laboring. They always have the option to get into a seat if they'd rather do that so I don't let them use that as an excuse to tell me how easy my life is in a serious conversation. They made a choice about their career path just like we did. Another important thing to recognize is that this is part of an eternal conversation back and forth between operators and laborers and 99% of the time it is in good fun and jest. Laborers will always give us shit for being lazy, comfortable operators. Operators will always give laborers shit for not being good enough to sit in the seat and that's why they are stuck laboring. It's all in good fun as long as everyone recognizes that we all work hard and we all have abilities that compliment each other on the job. At the end of the day we are all brothers in this world of working in construction and we all need each other to get the job done. An operator without a good laborer is worthless. Likewise, a good laborer with a shit operator is also worthless. It's a relationship of mutual dependency and that's what makes that relationship so awesome when you work with a good team. All that to say, early on in your career the knee jerk reaction is to get upset and defend yourself for being an operator. Instead, roll with the punches and give the laborers shit right back and realize everyone is having a good time. Thanks for the comment Brayden! This was a really good topic!
@@braydentilley4036 No need to apologize! Everybody does in the beginning (and a lot of veterans still do...). I actually just recorded a Down & Dirty on this because it was such a good topic. I gave you a shoutout so stay tuned for that one in the next month or so brother.
@@DieselandIron your 100 % right about taking the opportunity to jump in a seat when giving the chance , I just started in this field and find myself operating more then being In trench, started off packing , then front end loader , skid steer and got my eyes on dozer and hoe , maybe next season , wish I got into this type of work sooner , a good efficient operator is $$$
love how the top box is not pinned to the rest of the boxes ? puts bucket back on to get stone and doesnt push down on the buckets to make sure its locked? fuck that lol
On these jobs you generally have an inspector on-site that checks on things from time to time. They also tv all of the runs to verify they were installed correctly
Thank you for being the official OSHA UA-cam representative. The industry would be in shambles without fine individuals like yourself holding us all accountable!
Top cage is sitting, up side down, straddling the bottom cage. Who’s the Stupid visor here? Lololo. If the wall caved in at the back of the cage, it would fill the cage in too. Time to look for an office job.
@@DieselandIron I’ve been doing pipe for 22 yrs, from top guy to the digger and I see a lot wrong. We’re 29 ft deep right now on a job and I wouldn’t want any of these guys there, especially that digger who don’t even test his coupler after he quick connects and actually went in with the wider bucket knowing he needed the 24 or 30 inch bucket. Talk about unsafe, come on man. I do love your channel tho
@@jeff7764 Ok mr know it all. Not like curling the bucket out to grab stone isn’t gonna let you know if it isn’t hooked on… If you really did this work, you’d see he curled in so he could see the coupler cylinder move… I bet everyone hates working with you.
Cringing when that #1 😬 Operator is hooking that box and dragging it back with the bucket and no chain in sight. Real bad on the quick connect bucket setups to..
mans a psycho for staying down pulling the box that deep without a plate on the back. I get you probably dont because youre pulling boxes so much with utilities but still. Also who in the world grades stone backwards lol
Bryan wtf are these dudes meaning by grading stone backwards. Seams legit to me. That’s how all the pipe jobs I’ve dug on do it. Iam over west of you Montana but did heavy civil pipe and gradin crew in Nashville&socal for yrs I follow Shane levermonkey to I want more GPS videos brotha Iam mainly a dozer guy and loved the ones you put out. There are not many on here 💪🏻👊🏼
No spicket lube, no 4x4 for belling pipe, back of box isn't plated, middle and top box have no stacking pockets or pins, shouldn't be in a box when its pulled, need a trench box ladder - that bracket to hold a ex. ladder is crap - need a alum. walkway and a real box ladder. I'm sure their good guys but will end up with someone hurt due to not having the correct material to do the job safely, or cutting corners - no plate and top box just sitting their are rookie. Paint your runs out so your hoe man can keep the box centered better or get wider spreaders - need a foot of stone on sides of pipe as well as top or risk that mandrel not pulling. Sorry
Whoa.... That's interesting we need to stop and think about what do they consider good money.... Because in Europe the minimum wage is from 25 to I believe 27 or maybe 28 the Scandinavian countries Being the better pay ones. And those countries are part of the G7 so we all have the same economy but not the same stand in the living obviously.... So good pay should be $30 to $35 because you do have to add the skills and the job conditions.... I think it's worth reminding everyone $25 to $28 that's minimum wage for the Europeans, part of the G7 that's everyone who works at McDonald's Burger King what grocery store.... The G7 countries are trading partners again we have the same economy.... Obviously not the same standard of living
I hope OSHA never shows up on your site. Need to get your ladder down where the pipe layer can get to it in case he needs to get out quickly. No safety latch on the hook you lowered the pipe in with. No tag line on the pipe. Nobody is allowed in the box when you are moving it.
This is pretty common industry practice, especially when digging this deep. It would eat up a crazy amount of time to have your guy climb in and out of the hole. You also increase the risk of falling every time you get in and out of the hole.
@@DieselandIron safty ver time, i will take safty every time. I never let pipe layer stay down there. Deep excavation isnt a place to be hanging around if your just waiting for hoe to dig.
The area where I live and work we do not pull the box with anybody inside of it don't care how long it takes to climb out don't care how long it takes to climb in safety is number one never pull the box with somebody in it
No health and safety at all no harnis or fall arest system in place and he's still in the ground while the machine drags the box lol this should be how not to install drainage
I’ve run mini excavators for little projects around the home, but these guys are the real deal. One thing that comes to mind is that the operator can’t see what he’s doing at the bottom of the trench. He has to rely on communication from the other guys for safety as well as feel in the sticks to get as much productivity out of the machine as possible. Simply amazing!
The last 10 feet or so of his pass is done by feel and muscle memory. Mainline hoe operators are some of the best out there. Thanks for watching!
My hubby is a pipe layer. Specialized in deep sanitary... I worry about him but he's one of the best in Ohio. There very proud group of guys
Not much feel of the sticks anymore with electrical hydraulics…
These guys are slow and have way to narrow of a box for that big of pipe. I’d love to see the deflection on it after they’re done
This man is known as the “top man” or banksman. I’ve been laying deep drainage for over 30 years in the uk, also tunnelling projects for barhale, Murphy etc, started alongside my dad when I was around nine, driving dozers, machines the whole nine yards. The deepest box for trench cut I was in was ten metres deep in rotterdam. Great job lads and nice to see you using leica pipe lasers . Uk peace and love 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
These guys are the elite in this field could watch this all day 🤙
I'm right there with you man. I really enjoyed spending time with this crew. It made me miss doing underground...
Sewer and waterline is another world ive had the chance to be on a crew for 3-4 months and i miss it chemistry and production is awesome you control the jobs
Seems like those guys work well together. You know the job will be done right, when everyone knows their role. Great video.
It really is a joy to watch a crew work that is in sync with one another. Thanks for watching Ronnie!
I miss working the trench and installing sewer mains. It's not perfectly safe, but man does it get you into good physical condition.
Working for the City of Oklahoma City, we were not under OSHA, so we did a lot extremely dangerous stuff, sometimes in deep ditches without shoring or trench boxes. I was in a hole 26 feet deep in a golf course once to do a repair. I could've died easily on that one.
Facts @@troy3456789
Yeahhhh got some good underground shots man, pipelayers 4 lifeee!!!!
Thanks Bradley! I appreciate you watching brother!
Your videos have helped me tremendously. I am a DIYer. I have a 9.6 acre property and bought an old dozer and some other equipment. I learned the basics from your videos. Now I’m installing 400’ of 8” SDR35 for a storm water project here. This video also helped me. Keep it up!
That's how I learned too! Thanks for watching and good luck with the property!
it takes a good crew to lay pipe deep and make production and be safe
alot can go wrong you guys do a good job.
I 100% agree with you. Without a good crew this is extremely dangerous work. As much as I would like to take credit this is entirely Fechco's crew performing the work
I was the loader operator when my friend was buried in a trench cave in. He was just inside the trench box, standing on the end of the pipe when the trench behind him came down and came inside the box from the end. Buried for about 30 minutes. He was 18 years old.
I'm really sorry you had to go through that. Trench cave in's are a terrible part of this industry.
Fucking brutal I think about shit like this happening everytime I go down in the hole. I prefer open cut but a cage gets the job done faster. We have the track loader coming in right behind the cage backfilling and packing the trench as we pull the cage in the trench. Sometimes we got risers for services and we sand those as we pull the cage but it can cave in before the trackloader can get close enough. The less of the trench open the better.
I’m sorry about your friend. My first two years, I used to have dreams/nightmares about being buried. It’s something to always be cautious about.
I’m sorry for your loss, last November I had to pull my buddy out from underneath the tracks of a new 350 deer. Went to talk to the operator and something shorted with the track controls and tracked on top of him. Operator couldn’t move the tracks only the bucket. He was the pipe layer an I was his top man. Shit scares me every day still doing the trade
Pipe layer deserves every dollar he gets and then some them guys work their ass off sometimes.
Absolutely. Pipe layers earn every cent
Nice!! Local 12 operator right here
Thank you so much for this video. At times I have to estimate the cost of these parts of a project and this really helps me to understand the complexities and risk associated with this work. It also helps me explain it to those who are even further removed, but have hold on the purse strings. Great video. I am now a subscriber.
Thanks for the sub and I appreciate the feedback! I love helping to tie the office world to the field.
Awesome crew, pipelayer myself. Don't mind the work, love the money. 💪
I am a pipe layer for a large civil contractor in the PNW. Been doing it for 8 years now. Us pipe layers love the deep stuff! Interesting to see how other crews work. I have a few things about this video I question. Appears to be 24” sdr 35 with 3 foot spreader bars on the trench box. Usually for that large of pipe it needs to be jumping jacked on both sides but not possible with how narrow your box is unless you’re using a pogo stick vibe. My only reasoning why you’re not required to compact is because it’s non compact-able bedding. Also, stabbing sewer together with a hoe can be risky and mess up your previous sticks grade (depending how much grade each stick gets)
Where’s your cat walk for the trench box though?! Or a armor plate in the back.
Overall, cool video!
The stone they are using for bedding is non compact-able which is why they are able to get away with using a hoe pack on the back fill I believe. Also the actual trench widens out once the trench box is pulled forward so there is a bit more room to get in around the pipe. A good operator is certainly key when nudging pipe into place but I've always felt like I have more control using the bucket vs. using a choker to pull the pipe into position. The choker allows for wobble and some jerky movements while the bucket is smooth and consistent on the push. As for the catwalk and armor plates, I'm not sure why they weren't required on this project as I was just filming and didn't have all the details of the job. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment brother!
You can’t bale 24s with a bar lol put a block of wood between to pipe and bucket and have a good hoe man.
@@dlogan3004 … you can most definitely bar 24” sdr 35 home. If you’re running a .1% grade or similar, using a hoe will impact the grade of the previous stick which will cause a belly in the line. If you can’t bar it in, have your tail man help, if neither can bar it in, get out of the ditch.
@@YouBetBrother lol ok hero we like making money where I work.
@@dlogan3004 perfect, I haven’t had to dig up a single pipe (water or sewer) because of a leak or a belly in the almost 9 years I’ve been a ditch hand. I’ll keep doing it the way the old boys taught me and will train my new guys the same way I learned. Never been told my way is slow, bad or non efficient. Different strokes bud that’s all.
I do the same work been in countless ditches from 2ft to 25ft deep it is dangerous. I was the one in the ditch putting the pipe in for 7 years mainly sewer and storm drain, now I’m a Forman. Was never really a fan of cat I like Deere. I have a Hitachi 380. Y’all be safe
At the end of the day, underground work is inherently dangerous. You can only make it "so" safe. Thanks for the comment brother!
That's awesome to see. I never knew what was happening down there. Now I understand better why it takes so long when they have the street blocked off to install new or bigger sewer. I live in the Phenix are with housing and industrial going in at a very fast rate and existing roads are getting tore up and then repaved on what seems to be a regular basis. My wife asks me all the time what is taking so long, now I can try to explain. Thank you and be safe.
Thanks for watching! Be safe brother!
That operator is smooth with it man
Lol I remember my first 20' manhole. I dug a shelfed pit 40' by 60' and eventually a ramp all the ways down with a mini. I straight wrecked the tie in. Old clay 18" sewer main Lol. It was a shot show boys haha!
The next job going into the winter was another sanitary sewer and one manhole was 45'. That one was smooth sailing and safety was the #1 priority. Honestly I was taught to dig by a guy who came of the pipeline. This dude was amazing. He always kept tabs and when we would be in the hole he's the only guy I've ever seen bring the machines boom&arm down to us. Curling the bucket. Articulating it in a way we're he would block of a dangerous bank and in case of a cave in be ready to pull us up if needed. Now in a real bad cave in at least the laborers would have literally a ladder from the machine to try to hold on and pull your self up and out. Boxes are priority but sometimes you can't use them.
We did that a lot when we did sanitary tie in's on the residential side. It was too small of a hole to get a trench box in and a lot of times the lot was too small to be able to properly bench the hole so we would use the hoe to shore up the bank for the guys in the hole.
I’ve been 17 feet down doing a sewer line deep house repair on live main no plug lots of fun I love being a pipe laborer
It's got its shitty moments 😂
You guys need to get the right top box to then be able to pin it to the box below
These guys were about to disassemble the boxes to go over the gas line they were exposing. The boxes would then get repinned
OSHA would eat their asses for lunch
Love that excavator. God bless you and your family.
She was a sexy machine! Thanks for watching Jean!
A lot of know it all’s on here. Fechko been around since the late 80s. I graduated with Clayton Fechko and have been friends w him and a lot of the boys over there a long time. Good guys. I’m also outta local 860 like I’m sure these guys are. Stay safe !
I don't get all the hate. Everyone that was working there loved the company and I absolutely loved the family that runs the company. I think there are a lot of ex-employees in here that are still angry they got shit canned...
@@DieselandIronit’s def a professional company.. they do it all. Lots of talent there
fantastic video, thank you for taking the time the make it
Thanks for watching brother!
Thanks for the video this is the best yet no offense but real life detail and oversee. Absolutely amazing.
Thanks for watching! It's not often people get to see a crew doing this sort of work up close.
Cool video Bryan, you answered several questions I had about this process in this one video. Was there a time when those trench boxes weren't used in the industry? How long ago? That is some dangerous work.
I'm not sure how long trench boxes like this have been around to be honest. This is extremely dangerous work and is pretty mentally exhausting for the operator. You have to be "on" all day or you kill someone or, best case scenario, cause thousands of dollars of property damage.
@@DieselandIron I can tell, this must be intense for everyone involved, especially that operator.
Mainline Hoe Operator here! Glad other people realize how meticulous is actually is. I’ve set lift stations 35’ deep and laid miles of sewer main 20’ and deeper. But even laying water main or electrical conduit 3 or 4 feet deep pine mistake can cost someone their life. I was on a job where a young man 19yrs old was killed in a 4 1/2ft ditch, he was kneeled down glueing conduit together and the operator spun off the ditch cause a 6ft long slab of the clay wall to fall and land on him. Stay safe out there fellas.
@@TheDonofDemolition thanks Jim
Nice video. Thank you. Scary to watch it them work. I won’t even go near a forklift unless im operating it…
Thanks for watching! Yeah, definitely a job you've gotta get used to.
Thank you for the explanation. I’ve been turning away a lot of jobs because I’m afraid of The what ifs. Now I’m a little confident I can at least do a 5’ repair
Find a job in your area that has a pipe crew working and take an afternoon off to go observe. Don't think about it as losing out on work. Think about it as an investment in your education. Once you've seen the process done in person it become a lot less intimidating.
I’m 24 years old and I’m the pipe foreman ive been the foreman since I was 21 got into the industry when I was 18 and I stayed hungry for knowledge and skill and I’m still hungry for the knowledge we get better and better everyday
That's awesome Bobby! One thing I love about the trades is that you can go as far as you want if you have the drive.
This was an amazing video. Thanks!
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Great video! To think the deepest I have been is ten feet. 25 feet is pretty intense!
It's a whole new world when you get that deep! Super easy to get complacent and get hurt. When you are this deep you have to be on 100% of the time
nice.. greetings from a Danish Pipelayer.. 10 years in the hole ;)
Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment!
Hell yeah would love to be part of this crew I am I current pipe layer here in Salt Lake City utah I have been laying pipe for 6 years so far started when I was 19 and most likely alway do this kind of work great video man!
Thank you! These are fun jobs to be on. I really miss running loader for an underground crew. Lots of pressure but lots of fun!
Need to get more videos like this
It is difficult due to companies being worried about liability.
What size pipe was that? I getting ready to install 21 inch sewer pipe 20ft deep soon. Pretty the same amount of space to work to but next to a creek lol. Great video love seeing pipe laying done right.
I believe this was 24" but don't quote me on that...
I'm with you. I being on or watching a pipe crew that works well together. There's not many things that are more fun in this business.
Dam that Cat 352 is a beautiful machine!!!!!!!!
It was. I really wanted to play in it
Ahh the ole trenchbox I always called them sweat caskets
yep company I worked for painted theirs black. they only stayed that color about a week before we said nope.
Hi great vid very helpful as im just getting into my operator career. That gas line they exposed at the start of vid, howd they managed that with the trench box going through?
They would unstack the boxes and reassemble on the other side. Thanks for watching!
Need more like this one. Good video
Thanks Andre! I'll see what I can do with some similar videos showing the process of construction practices. Thanks for watching my man.
@@DieselandIron no problem. I dig main line. Nice to see how other guys do things as well.
Wow this video was awesome.
Thanks for watching! This was a cool job.
Cool video! I see this is a Fechko operation. Are you located here in Ohio?
I'm up the road here in Michigan.
Wow I’ve never been that deep before
That's what... He said? 🤣
What kind of license do you need to lay sanitary or sewer pipe?
You'll need to check with your local municipality. This can vary based on where you are located and what the local requirements are.
Great video and channel! Q: What qualifications are required to oversee the installation os sanitary sewer? Do you have to be a plumbing contractor? Who regulates/supervises/quality checks the install?
Thank you! If we are talking mainline sanitary sewer then you are overseen by inspectors from the local municipality. While you conduct the work, the inspector is really the individual ensuring the work is being done correctly and to code. If you are talking about doing residential sewer taps into the main then you need to be a licensed plumber and you have to be certified in whatever city/township you are working in. In other words, my friend is certified to perform water and sewer taps here in the City of Howell but, we can't run down the road to Lansing and perform the same work. First he would have to go through the paper process of getting certified in Lansing, then we could conduct the work.
Deepest one I’ve been in was 30 feet deep. Sketchy stacking them coffins on top of each other ha ha.
It gets quiet down there 😅
Who’s the guy backfilling destroying the chrome on the bucket cylinder
He's the operator
First time commenting. Love the channel and all the videos. Been watching for a couple months now. This video was great to show the process. Wish the video showed them moving and resetting the boxes. Maybe on the next one!
Thanks Jason! I can give you the quick overview. From here they would pull off the top box and set it to the side, unbolt the middle box and do the same and then pull out the lower box and jump it over the gas line. From there they rebuild the boxes on the other side of the gas line. It's a pretty labor intensive process and would've taken a fair amount of time.
@@DieselandIron Thanks for the reply. If the gas line wasn't in the way would they just pull them ahead? Or unbolt everything then reset and reassemble even with out a gas line in the way? Thanks
@@JP12X88 they would just continue to pull the boxes forward until the end of the run. The boxes bolt together so they move as one unit so it's easy to just pull the whole thing forward.
Yes they are
Are they communicating with each other at all using radio? I would imagine it's pretty hard to communicate because of the loud machinery.
Hand signals and a good crew knows what's going on will work in sync with each other.
Shouts and hand signals are all that's used. If a crew has been working together for a long time and fits well together there is almost no verbal communication going on. It's all hand signals and everyone reading each other's movements. That's what makes being on a pipe crew one of the most fun jobs.
That CAT 352 IS A BEAUTIFUL MACHINE
Amen to that. They did a great job with the Next Gen machines.
Hey Bryan, I’m just curious as to why they’re going this deep, I’m assuming it’s to avoid any lift pumps or having to pump the sewage to the treatment plant but I don’t know for sure, also how deep can they go before they have to put in some sort of pump?
Great question Ryan! Depth is determined by the nearest lift station. As the old saying goes, "shit flows downhill." When these pipe runs are designed the engineers figure out where the sewage will ultimately flow and that becomes your low point. The amount of elevation change that occurs through the dig depends on other tie ins that need to happen down the line. As far as how deep you go, that all depends on where you're at. Some runs will only go 20 or so feet deep due to conditions. In a major metro area you can go 40-60 feet deep in order to get under existing utilities or to get low enough to tie into the main feed line for the treatment plant.
How do thay set there manholes , do thay have a wider box or open cut them?
Generally if you are setting a deep manhole you will have a larger set of boxes and plates that are used to shore up the hole.
Buen trabajo yo e trabado por 16 años de operador asiendo la mismo
Love it 👍
Thanks!
i have question , why did you guys bench when you have the shield sticking up 4' out of the ground.
I wasn't there for the start of the dig but if I had to guess it was to keep the guys safe while they bolted the second set up trench boxes up. Either that or it was to provide relief for the spoils as he was digging down to put the trench boxes in.
It's so they can remove the top box, & pull the bottom boxes under water & gas services, without removing them from the trench
So how does he get off the ladder and on the bank?
Leap of faith...
@@DieselandIron 😁
I don't know why these guys aren't using end panels since they are backfilling as they go.
I did the same thing 20 ft deep!! Double stacked!! Except.. the ground was sand!!! It sucked... cave ins non stop! Sluffing, constant water underground.. messing with 2inch pumps every pull.. what a nightmare!! That will really make u work for your money!!
Being a pipe layer can't always been rainbows, sunshine and dry conditions!😂
Great content
I appreciate it Thomas!
The guy in the trench has to have a lot of trust that no one's gonna drop anything on his head.
Welcome to the industry
Call me crazy should you be dragging box with dude in trench?
Speaking as an OSHA guy? No. Speaking as someone who spends a lot of time on job sites with real crews? It happens...
#keepinformed
#shareknowledge
#safe
Maybe it’s just my company that’s strict on this, but I did notice he didn’t do a bucket test?
I'm assuming you are talking about when he switches to the bucket that was sitting in the stone box. If you watch, he couples the bucket and then uncurls all the way to grab the bucket of stone. With that coupler that was a bucket check. If the bucket wasn't coupled properly he wouldn't have been able to uncurl that much without the bucket coming undone. Thanks for the comment Clayton!
@@DieselandIron I gotcha. Yeah I’m not saying he’s wrong, just for us we have to put the teeth on the ground and give it a little pressure to make sure it’s on. It might’ve stemmed from an incident from our sister company, they had a bucket fall off into a trench and land on a sewer line below our trench. NOT a good day in the neighborhood. Thanks for the reply!
@@claytonboschult2445 When you curl it in, you can see the coupler cylinder move. If you watch it move and can see the bucket is in the hitch, it’s on. Like he said too, when he curled out to grab stone it was as good a test as any.
Hell of a video
Thanks man!
Nice video need more
Thanks for watching! More are coming!
Great Operator!
Agreed. This guy was a pro
Brian on the pipe line project 👍 did u try out the CAT 352 😁 Thank U Brian for the Great video 👍
As much as I wanted to get in that machine, no I didn't get seat time in the new 352. I was just there to observe on this job. It did make me miss doing underground work though! Thanks for watching as always Junia!
Let's get the loader to bring the excavator the pipe so he doesn't have to swing under the power line.
Due to tight conditions there wasn't room to put the pipe next to him they were stacking dirt wherever they could and the loader was already shuttling some of the dirt down the road as is.
How old s he making sure that gravel is on grade
With a pipe laser and a line drawn on the handle of his shovel
@@DieselandIron oh ok and how are they making sure the trench is on grade with a grade rod?
@@kelvinzamarron1807 a grade rod works fine if a grade man is available, if not the laser hits the bucket for center and overall depth.
Damn this is some good video! New subscriber
I appreciate it!
Hits the power lines twice.
The lowest set of lines aren't power lines. These are often fiber optic, phone or Internet and as long as you are gentle you can brush against them.
Go back to mcburger king and make them burgers. This is big boy time.
Bro this is what I do lol I’m the guy that works in the trench it’s actually not bad 27 a hr
Appreciate what you do! Where are you working?
@@DieselandIron Was that a rate job?
Thought I saw someone in that trench box while pulling it ???? My eyes probably playing tricks on me rite 😲
It's pretty standard in the industry. Those who deny it work for OSHA 😂
@@DieselandIron in the past 2 years in Canada alone, (that I am personally familiar with). 1 man killed in trench box when excavator falls on him (July 2020, Burnaby, BC, Canada), 1 man killed when trench box collapses on him (September 2020, Edmonton, AB, Canada), 2 men killed when trench collapses on them (a third man airlifted in critical condition (August 2022, Ajax, Ontario, Canada). I don't work for OSHA or OHS, I'm a heavy equipment operator trainer. That guy should not have been in the trench at all. In all three of those instances, the operators, supervisors, and superintendents involved will eventually all be going to prison. There is accountability nowadays.
I believe it's legal to pull a box with people in it, just not to lift a box until the people leave it.
Spreader safety pins are wrong on the top box… the same box is also not secure to the bottom box
Take it up with the crew. I was only the camera guy on this job.😂
Rock box.....AKA gravel boat
Wow man this is crazy! I couldn’t imagine being 22 feet in the ground everyday.. I think I have mixed thought about “operators being lazy” like everyone I talk to says “oh you’re an operator you just sit on your butt all day and do barely anything” but in all honesty I think it’s who you work for and also your mindset on things. I’m new to this but where I work we do it all, we don’t just have certain guys operating or laboring, we have 3 guys including me and we do it all. And if you have a mindset of well I’m only the operator because I’m lazy then I think you have the wrong mindset.. that’s just my opinion I guess 🤷🏼♂️
It is a different world when you are that deep in the ground. It's cool and quiet down in the hole and you need to know where it's safe to be or you can get killed or maimed in a hurry.
As far as the comment about operators being lazy, there's a couple things there. First, there will always be a comradery among laborers because they spend the day 100% exposed to the elements doing physical labor. I think, as operators, it's important to recognize this and give them credit for the physical labor they do and the lack of creature comforts they put up with. These guys absolutely have it harder than we do as operators. Now, that being said, nobody forced them to stick with laboring. They always have the option to get into a seat if they'd rather do that so I don't let them use that as an excuse to tell me how easy my life is in a serious conversation. They made a choice about their career path just like we did.
Another important thing to recognize is that this is part of an eternal conversation back and forth between operators and laborers and 99% of the time it is in good fun and jest. Laborers will always give us shit for being lazy, comfortable operators. Operators will always give laborers shit for not being good enough to sit in the seat and that's why they are stuck laboring. It's all in good fun as long as everyone recognizes that we all work hard and we all have abilities that compliment each other on the job. At the end of the day we are all brothers in this world of working in construction and we all need each other to get the job done. An operator without a good laborer is worthless. Likewise, a good laborer with a shit operator is also worthless. It's a relationship of mutual dependency and that's what makes that relationship so awesome when you work with a good team.
All that to say, early on in your career the knee jerk reaction is to get upset and defend yourself for being an operator. Instead, roll with the punches and give the laborers shit right back and realize everyone is having a good time. Thanks for the comment Brayden! This was a really good topic!
@@DieselandIron Wow man, that was really good... sorry I got defensive like that. You explained that very well!
@@braydentilley4036 No need to apologize! Everybody does in the beginning (and a lot of veterans still do...). I actually just recorded a Down & Dirty on this because it was such a good topic. I gave you a shoutout so stay tuned for that one in the next month or so brother.
@@DieselandIron Awesome thanks man! looking forward to it!
@@DieselandIron your 100 % right about taking the opportunity to jump in a seat when giving the chance , I just started in this field and find myself operating more then being In trench, started off packing , then front end loader , skid steer and got my eyes on dozer and hoe , maybe next season , wish I got into this type of work sooner , a good efficient operator is $$$
love how the top box is not pinned to the rest of the boxes ? puts bucket back on to get stone and doesnt push down on the buckets to make sure its locked? fuck that lol
👍 nice
Thanks for watching!
Are you operating
No, I was only filming on this one.
Inspection?.
On these jobs you generally have an inspector on-site that checks on things from time to time. They also tv all of the runs to verify they were installed correctly
@@DieselandIron Exfill or infill?
I know if osha was there guy in the hole be getting a write off on not wearing a hardhat
Thank you for being the official OSHA UA-cam representative. The industry would be in shambles without fine individuals like yourself holding us all accountable!
Top cage is sitting, up side down, straddling the bottom cage. Who’s the Stupid visor here? Lololo. If the wall caved in at the back of the cage, it would fill the cage in too. Time to look for an office job.
Never seen someone grade stone backwards lol, this whole operation seems kinda ragtag
I can assure you there's nothing rag tag when going 24 feet deep
@@DieselandIron I’ve been doing pipe for 22 yrs, from top guy to the digger and I see a lot wrong. We’re 29 ft deep right now on a job and I wouldn’t want any of these guys there, especially that digger who don’t even test his coupler after he quick connects and actually went in with the wider bucket knowing he needed the 24 or 30 inch bucket. Talk about unsafe, come on man. I do love your channel tho
@@jeff7764 Ok mr know it all. Not like curling the bucket out to grab stone isn’t gonna let you know if it isn’t hooked on… If you really did this work, you’d see he curled in so he could see the coupler cylinder move… I bet everyone hates working with you.
Cringing when that #1 😬
Operator is hooking that box and dragging it back with the bucket and no chain in sight.
Real bad on the quick connect bucket setups to..
You think you drag a bedding box/rock box with a chain?
Yeah because that’s how you do that, with a chain… Right…
Where’s is this Ohio
Yes, this was outside Medina, Ohio.
Should never drag a box while man in the trench, that’s a no no.
mans a psycho for staying down pulling the box that deep without a plate on the back. I get you probably dont because youre pulling boxes so much with utilities but still. Also who in the world grades stone backwards lol
Gotta do whatever it takes to get the job done. Just depends on the conditions and what space permits.
Bryan wtf are these dudes meaning by grading stone backwards. Seams legit to me. That’s how all the pipe jobs I’ve dug on do it. Iam over west of you Montana but did heavy civil pipe and gradin crew in Nashville&socal for yrs I follow Shane levermonkey to I want more GPS videos brotha Iam mainly a dozer guy and loved the ones you put out. There are not many on here 💪🏻👊🏼
Operative should not be down the hole while the dragbox is being moved poor practice there
No spicket lube, no 4x4 for belling pipe, back of box isn't plated, middle and top box have no stacking pockets or pins, shouldn't be in a box when its pulled, need a trench box ladder - that bracket to hold a ex. ladder is crap - need a alum. walkway and a real box ladder. I'm sure their good guys but will end up with someone hurt due to not having the correct material to do the job safely, or cutting corners - no plate and top box just sitting their are rookie. Paint your runs out so your hoe man can keep the box centered better or get wider spreaders - need a foot of stone on sides of pipe as well as top or risk that mandrel not pulling. Sorry
Thank you for the detailed armchair breakdown! I don't know how these guys stay in business!
Whoa.... That's interesting we need to stop and think about what do they consider good money.... Because in Europe the minimum wage is from 25 to I believe 27 or maybe 28 the Scandinavian countries Being the better pay ones. And those countries are part of the G7 so we all have the same economy but not the same stand in the living obviously.... So good pay should be $30 to $35 because you do have to add the skills and the job conditions.... I think it's worth reminding everyone $25 to $28 that's minimum wage for the Europeans, part of the G7 that's everyone who works at McDonald's Burger King what grocery store.... The G7 countries are trading partners again we have the same economy.... Obviously not the same standard of living
Curious how your cost of living compares vs wages
I hope OSHA never shows up on your site. Need to get your ladder down where the pipe layer can get to it in case he needs to get out quickly. No safety latch on the hook you lowered the pipe in with. No tag line on the pipe. Nobody is allowed in the box when you are moving it.
Get bigger spreaders and center the pipe not impressed
That's okay. My goal today wasn't to impress you.
@@DieselandIron He saw a video once, he’s an expert don’t you know.
operators are lazy ain't they?" ☠️
I personally refuse to operate unless I have Tivo hooked up in the cab.
@@DieselandIron no if ands or buts 🤣
Shouldnt be pulling box with the pipe layer down there.
This is pretty common industry practice, especially when digging this deep. It would eat up a crazy amount of time to have your guy climb in and out of the hole. You also increase the risk of falling every time you get in and out of the hole.
@@DieselandIron safty ver time, i will take safty every time. I never let pipe layer stay down there. Deep excavation isnt a place to be hanging around if your just waiting for hoe to dig.
Lol yeah because the laborer is gonna climb out every move. Right lol.
The area where I live and work we do not pull the box with anybody inside of it don't care how long it takes to climb out don't care how long it takes to climb in safety is number one never pull the box with somebody in it
Dad used to do it all the time when I was in the box. ( he was the machine operator)
top man is on the wrong side of the box always stand on thw non swing side
No health and safety at all no harnis or fall arest system in place and he's still in the ground while the machine drags the box lol this should be how not to install drainage
Thank you my armchair OSHA man!